That feels goooood. A baby whale lets passengers on a boat rub the inside of its mouth last week in Baja. PHOTO COURTESY OF DAVE ANDERSON/ DOLPINSAFARI.COM, PHOTO COURTESY OF DAVE ANDERSON/ DOLPINSAFARI.COMSA

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An underwater shot of a Dana Point family getting up close and intimate with a baby gray whale in Baja, as the calf letting whale watchers rub inside its mouth. PHOTO COURTESY OF DAVE ANDERSON/ DOLPINSAFARI.COM, PHOTO COURTESY OF DAVE ANDERSON/ DOLPINSAFARI.COMSA

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A Dana Point family got up close and intimate with a baby gray whale in Baja, the calf letting whale watchers rub inside its mouth. PHOTO COURTESY OF DAVE ANDERSON/ DOLPINSAFARI.COM, PHOTO COURTESY OF DAVE ANDERSON/ DOLPINSAFARI.COMSA

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You can't get much closer than this. A Dana Point family got up close and intimate with a baby gray whale in Baja, the calf letting whale watchers rub inside and around its mouth. PHOTO COURTESY OF DAVE ANDERSON/ DOLPINSAFARI.COM, PHOTO COURTESY OF DAVE ANDERSON/ DOLPINSAFARI.COMSA

That is how 10-year-old Arielle Anderson describes what it feels like to rub on the tongue and baleen of a gray whale calf, a rare experience that brought awe to one of the most seasoned whale watchers from Orange County on a recent trip to Baja California.

Dave Anderson, Arielle's father and owner of Capt. Dave's Dolphin and Whale Safari, has spent 20 years closely interacting with the gray whales, guiding tours daily out of Dana Point to watch whales pass by the coastline. For more than 10 years, he's taken trips down to see the gray whales in Baja as they give birth to their calves this time of year, before returning on their long journey back passing O.C. and onward to Alaska.

But it was on a trip last week to Baja that Anderson got to get more intimate with a baby whale than he ever has before.

It was the first time he had traveled to Magdalena Bay, usually opting to go to the more popular San Ignacio area known as the place where the gray whales hang out with their newborns.

When the family arrived to Magdalena Bay, he said there were whales all over the place. It was after most of the other charters had left when a baby whale became curious. It would come over and nudge up to the boat, sticking its face up to the passengers, then open its mouth and rolling around.

Anderson had heard from recent trips that whales actually enjoy it if you touch them inside their mouth, but most whales don't get close enough. The tour guides said to go ahead and try it if the whale seems interested.

"Sure enough, it loved every second of it. lt kept coming back for more," he said. "The baby was totally focused on interacting with us. The calf was just over the top, I just couldn't even imagine a better experience than what we had. It just kept coming back."

One woman had so much of her hand inside the mouth of the whale, she became startled when it started pulling away, realizing just how strong the calf was.

"It's so much like a puppy," he said. "You can see the intelligence in their eyes when they are that close to you. You are looking at an animal that knows what is going on and keen on being petted."

Anderson said this particular calf was a few months old, and like a young child was a bit awkward and bumping into things.

This interaction with the gray whales down at Baja started back in the '70s, and is the only place known where the whales allow humans to get this close and personal, Anderson said. Perhaps the mothers remember similar experiences when they are young, so they don't worry about their babies when they come into contact with people. But it's not something that happens all the time.

"You can't expect it to happen every time. If you're lucky you get to pet one," he said. "If you're extraordinarily blessed, you can have an encounter like we had. That was a blessing from God, it was unusual. It was overwhelmingly amazing."

After about an hour, the calf had enough petting and playing, and returned with its mother. A video Anderson put together on the encounter was featured on "Good Morning America" on Wednesday morning and picked up by other news outlets.

To learn more about gray whales, Anderson recently published a book called “Lily, A Gray Whale's Odyssey.” For more Information: dolphinsafari.com

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